Thoughtful debate will determine future of Disney resort

Wednesday is shaping up as a big day in Anaheim. That's the day the Planning Commission will hold its first hearings on the proposed Disneyland Resort project. Since last year's announcement that the Walt Disney Co. was going to focus its efforts on whether to proceed with the S3 billion Anaheim plan, the debate has been bubbling just below the surface. Expansion proponents call the Disney plan a much-needed boost that will pave the way to the future not only for the amusement park but for the city as well. Its detractors, however, focus on the myriad problems they say aren't adequately addressed or are ignored in the initial environmental reports and the subsequent response to criticisms. It is against this backdrop that the Disneyland project will receive its first full-fledged public hearing, with all sides coming together for what promises to be a lengthy debate. To accommodate an expected healthy turnout, city officials have scheduled this hearing at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Park Pl of the Inn at the Park hotel. 1855 S. Harbor Blvd. Given the concerns expressed JOHNW. SWANSON by officials from local school districts and neighboring cities, given the concerns of the park's neighbors and given the concerns of what this project ultimately will cost the city, I hope people do turn out. Such first-hand involvement is vital ill a project this big, the likes of which this city hasn't seen since Disneyland originally was built in the 1950s. Then, however, Anaheim was a completely different city one that didn't include a thriving Convention Center across the street or a stadium and arena a couple of miles away. Some people at the time even doubted that Disneyland would succeed, much less spawn the dramatic growth that followed in the next two decades. Today, it's a different story. The city's flatJands, in most people's eyes, already are pretty much built out something that isn't lost on Disney officials. To their credit, they realize that building this project in an urban enesents a different set of challenges than they would face if they were starting from scratch in an undeveloped location. But overcoming those challenges to the satisfaction of most people no matter what is done, it won't please everyone is easier said than done, especially since many of those problems need to be addressed even if this project doesn't go forward. In Disney's eyes, however, those problems including traffic flow and structural improvements the area long has needed are solvable. Disney officials also believe the monetary questions, including a possible $ 1 billion commitment by the city, aren't insurmountable. ' What ultimately may kill the project is widespread public opposition that would make it impossible for city officials to approve the necessary permits required for the project to move forward. That's why Wednesday's hearng is so important. For those who oppose the Disney expansion for whatever reason, it represents an opportunity to have their viewsthemselves how city and Disney officials respond to their concerns. For those who have yet to make up their minds, it represents an opportunity to hear firsthand the divergent opinions on this major project. And, for all of us who live and work in Anaheim, it represents the first step on the long road that ultimately will shape the city's future, no matter what becomes of the Disneyland Resort. Given what's at stake, I urge those who participate in Wednesday's hearing to do so with decorum and understanding and not turn it into the political circus that marred the 1991 budget hearings. The issue is too important, the stakes are too high. Only through informed, thoughtful debate will the people of this city be able to decide for themselves if the Disneyland Resort should be part of our future.